Chameleon / Kaméleon (Hungary, 2008)

directed by Krisztina Goda, thriller/comedy, 105 min, eng subtitles
written by Krisztina Goda, Réka Divinyi
with Ervin Nagy, Gabriella Hámori, Zsolt Trill, János Kulka

Gábor Farkas is a conman by profession. He ensnares plain-looking, lonely women with acts of love and then cheats them out of their savings. One day he becomes tired of his small-time swindles and craves a real challenge. He meets Hanna, a rich and beautiful ballerina who is trying to return to the stage after a break due to an accident. Gábor has to use every trick up his sleeve in order to make the girl take him seriously: he acquires a luxury apartment, a sports car, a medical degree and even an entire hospital to impress her. But his lies are so complicated that he gets entangled in his own ropes and in the end he is no longer even sure what he wants to achieve.

The film was a big hit domestically with lead actor Ervin Nagy drawing praise for his intense, moody charm. Nominated for Oscar 2010.

Awards:
Hungarian Film Festival Los Angeles 2009 (Best Film)
Hungarian Film Week 2009 (People's choice)